Pencils
by amekazakai
Summary: Pencils are have many uses. They are tools for writing as well as great weapons in times of danger. This is a story in which a pencil is something more, an unbreakable bond between two people. Tsuna x Reader written for Anello Della Campana. Disclaimer: I don't own KHR.


It's been a while since I've written something a oneshot that's not a songfic, so... My next fic'll be a Eyeshield 21 one starring Hiruma! I'm also in the process of editing my fics; I'm planning on compiling the reader insert oneshots into various multi-chapter fic for convenience. Check it out if you have the time, since very little of my work comes out of the editing process exactly the same... :D

This one is a Tsuna x reader written for **Anello Della Campana**! It's not pure fluff like I said it'd be, but...well... It has a happy ending and nobody dies, so...^^;

The flow is slightly awkward, since I had to avoid writing this in second-person (It's against the FFN regulations and one of my fics got taken down because of it and I don't want to take any chances). I'm trying to figure out how to make it less choppy, but until then...:(

The pencil was inspired by a similar pencil I saw when shopping at Banzai. I like pencils. :D

Please read and review!~

* * *

"Oi! Dame-Tsuna!"

A seven year-old Tsunayoshi Sawada looked up in time to see a white blur before the volleyball connected with his stomach and sent him flying.

"Ahahaha! You're so _weak_!"

"And slow and stupid!"

"Ew, I think he's _crying!_"

"He's such a _wimp._"

Tsuna bit his lip in a futile attempt to stop his tears.

"How does his mom put up with him?"

"She's probably a loser, too!"

"Yeah, a loser and his loser family!"

Tsuna's face turned bright red, but he kept his face turned downwards, unable to bring himself to look up.

Looking up, if he went by past experiences, meant that he'd most likely get punched, and his body was one that avoided pain at _all _costs.

Even if it meant being a coward and not standing up for his mother.

Of course, not responding quickly enough would get him punched too, but in Tsuna's defense, he was a bit too winded by the volleyball to remember fast enough.

"Oi, Dame-Tsuna! Say something!"

Tsuna's ears registered the sound of someone drawing their fist back for a punch and he braced himself.

He could hear the whistle of air as a fist flew at his face when...

A yelp, the sound of objects crashing onto the floor, and a high wail of pain.

Tsuna's head jerked up and took in the sight of his bully clutching his hand close to his body and a girl about their age Tsuna had never seen before standing in front of Tsuna in a defensive stance, a slender white mechanical pencil with a dangling orange butterfly held loosely in her fingers.

A schoolbag, pencil case, various books, and a bento were unceremoniously strewn across the floor.

"I'm so sorry!" The girl bowed in apology, but her satisfaction with the boy's pain was apparent in the hard glint of her eyes and the tension in her body.

The bully and his gang glared at her, their eyes both promising to steal her lunch money for the rest of her elementary school career and betraying the fear of being in close proximity with a carrier of cooties as they scampered off to the other side of the schoolyard.

After watching them run off with a look of satisfaction, the girl turned to Tsuna.

"Are you okay?"

Tsuna just nodded, slightly awestruck and happy that someone had stood up for him.

She smiled at him, her eyes softening and sparkling prettily.

"Good." She turned away and picked up her fallen things before turning back to Tsuna and holding out her pencil.

"Here. Next time he tries to bother you, just poke him hard with this."

Tsuna took the pencil hesitantly, holding it in an almost reverent manner. "B-but, I can't use this! What about you? It's yours!"

The girl just waved away his protests and turned away. "I'll be fine without it. Just use it until you can protect yourself without it. And you can return it to me when you can protect both yourself _and _me like a real man! But until then, I'll protect you! I promise!"

She gathered the objects she had dropped in her rush to stop the bullies and was about to walk away when she suddenly thought of something.

"Hey, what's your name?"

Tsuna blinked up at her. "A-ah, my name is Sawada Tsunayoshi. B-but everybody calls me Tsuna..."

"Tsuna... Okay, I'll remember that! I'll see you tomorrow Tsuna-kun!"

"O-okay..."

She was gone the next day.

* * *

"Oi, kitten, let's have a little fun. How about it, hmm?"

A middle-aged man and his friends encircled the girl, their eyes gleaming in undisguised lust.

The girl glared at them and swung her bag at the leader, but he slapped it away, his leer disappearing as he grabbed the bag and wrenched it away from her and threw it behind him.

The men next to her grabbed her arms and the leader grabbed her hair and jerked her head back, leaning back to attack her neck when...

The sound of running footsteps, a crash, a flash of white and orange and grunts of pain.

The girl just stared bemusedly at the man in a crisp black suit who had just stabbed the men's hands with something sharp and wedged himself between the retreating would-be rapists and her.

His tall, spiky brown hair looked familiar, but she couldn't place a finger on it, so she ignored the nagging feeling in her mind and focused on the more immediate problem.

The would-be rapists clustered together and glared at the newcomer, but before they could move or say anything, the newcomer raised his hand and the bulky ring on his middle finger caught on fire.

Startled, both the girl and men backed away, when suddenly, the alleyway's entrance was suddenly blocked two more men in black: a silver-haired man who looked ready to murder someone and a black-haired man with a sword and a scar on his chin.

The rapists backed into them and were quickly dragged out of view.

The remaining man looked at the girl with a kind smile. "Are you okay?"

The girl blinked at him with wide eyes. "A-ah..."

The man studied her, then sighed. "You don't remember me, do you?"

"Should I?"

The man chuckled before handing her the long, slender object he had used to stab the men.

It was a white mechanical pencil with an orange butterfly dangling from it.

Orange butterfly... Where had she seen that before?

"...Waaaaait. Wait, wait, wait. You can't be serious..."

The man just grinned.

The girl gingerly took the pencil, feeling the familiar weight in her hand before looking back at the man's face. "Tsuna-san?"

Tsuna nodded. "I can protect both you and me now, so it's time to give this back to you."

"...You didn't look for me just to give the pencil back, did you?"

Tsuna scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously. "W-well..."

"Well?"

"I-I mean...That's not the _only_ reason..."

She raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Really! You know, you're _really_ hard to find. It's lucky I found you now, if I whined to Reborn about you for another hour, he'd probably shoot me, Vongola boss or not. I mean, not that I've been _whining_ about you..."

She coughed in an attempt to hide her amusement.

"...Um, I'll shut up now."

"No, no, keep talking. Please. It's fun to watch you."

Tsuna had a look of shy pride on his face. "Really?"

"Yup."

"Most people don't think that... People usually tell me to shut up or die..."

She sweatdropped. "What kind of people do you usually hang out with?"

Tsuna just shook his head. "You don't want to know."

He sighed. "Well, now that I gave you back your pencil..."

She gave him a questioning look.

Tsuna gave her a slightly sad look. "I guess we won't have a reason to see each other..."

She hummed. "I guess. But you know, I've learned over the years that pencils should be strictly used _only_ for writing. Which is stupid, since it's the perfect weapon for stealth, you know? So now I can't use the pencil to defend myself. Which means I'm going to need someone to protect me..."

She gave Tsuna a meaningful glance.

Tsuna gazed back at her with hopeful eyes. "C-can I...?"

She giggled amusedly. "Yes you can. I'd prefer it if you were my bodyguard."

Tsuna beamed at her. "Great! Yosh, I'll do my best!"

She laughed, then extended her hand. "You can start by getting me home safely."

Tsuna took her hand without a second thought, like it was natural for them to hold hands, and nodding happily, he walked with her out of the dark alleyway.


End file.
